After giving up another touchdown, the Colonels regrouped and took a 15-13 lead over visiting Fern Creek with 2:06 left in the game.

That was just enough time for the Tigers, who scored the winning 22-yard field goal with 9.8 seconds left to defeat Oldham County 16-15 on homecoming.

“You can’t start that way because it puts you in a hole,” coach Matt Brown said. “It didn’t kill us, it didn’t phase us. We kept fighting the whole game and I’m proud of the kids for doing that. We fought like crazy and just came up short.”

It had been a long way back for the Colonels, who faced a 6-0 deficit with 10:23 left in the first quarter and just four plays in. The extra point was blocked, but Fern Creek then turned a fumble by senior Garrett Wilder into another touchdown on just one play, a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Only three minutes into the game, Oldham County already trailed 13-0.

“We had a slow start ourselves,” senior tight end Stephen farrow said. “We knew we had more in us than that and we just came out and played what we should actually play after their second score.”

The Colonels had their struggles, but they weren’t done. Oldham County missed on a fourth down try at Fern Creek’s 45-yard line when senior wide receiver Will Funk couldn’t handle a pass from junior quarterback Brett Strnad.

The Tigers fumbled three plays into its next drive and the Colonels capitalized with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Strnad to senior wide receiver Kerry Smith to cut the lead to 13-7.

Oldham County recovered another fumble and forced a turnover on downs, but neither team could score in the second quarter.

“We just settled down, had to realize that we could beat these guys,” Smith said. “They’re kinda big and fast, but we’re fast too. We just had to settle down and play ball as a unit, instead of everybody doing their own thing.”

Both sides struggled to get much going in the second half as well, with Oldham County punting, turning the ball over on downs twice and throwing an interception. Fern Creek meanwhile, threw two interceptions and turned the ball over.

With 2:06 remaining, the Colonels finally broke through, as Smith took a direct snap out of the wildcat formation and followed his blockers left for a 14-yard touchdown run.

Strnad, also serving as the holder, pulled up on the extra-point snap and hit Farrow in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion.

But the Tigers didn’t need much to get back in the game. After a short, line-drive kickoff, they started at their own 44-yard line and got to the Oldham County five-yard line in seven plays before the winning field goal.

It doesn’t get any easier next week for the Colonels, who host Eastern in another district battle. The Eagles moved to 5-2 after a 36-0 win over Ballard tonight.

“We’ve gotta get over the sting of losing in the last seconds,” Brown said. “We fought hard with a 6A football team from Jefferson County and we’re right in the thick of the district.”

COOPER 40 SOUTH OLDHAM 21

On the road, the Dragons got into a big hole early and couldn't get out.

South Oldham was outgained 489-288 in falling to Cooper 40-21 Friday night. South Oldham is now 1-2 in district play.

The Dragons trailed 20-7 before cutting the deficit to 20-14 in the third quarter. But the Jaguars pulled away in the second half thanks to a 224-yard rushing night by junior Tyler Morris.

Senior Jacob Lamb had the big night for South Oldham, with 10 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

The Dragons are on the road again next week, when they take on district-rival Scott.